In a study conducted by Hewitt Associates, Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) has been named one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada. It is the only Atlantic Canadian employer on this year’s list and the first educational institution to ever achieve this prestigious ranking.

Achieving Hewitt Top 50 status is a competitive and courageous feat that is based on employee participation in an independent online survey. All employees are invited to participate, and their individual comments are confidential. The aggregated results from each organization are benchmarked against other organizational participants, which is precisely why Dr. Joan McArthur-Blair, NSCC president, says her organization chose to take part in the process.

“We want to know how our employees feel about working for NSCC,” she said in a telephone interview. “Their responses help us become the type of employer that people want to come to. We know we can’t compete with private sector wages and salaries, so we work very hard to be competitive in other ways such as creating a place where work is meaningful and important. People don’t work in public education based on the money.”

“We’re in the business of delivering dreams to 26,000 people a year. It’s very rewarding, compelling work. Collectively, all of us believe that education is a powerful force for social good,” said McArthur-Blair.

“It takes 2,000-plus people to deliver one graduate. It’s not about my work or any one person’s work. This award recognizes the compelling leadership of all our employees, and that we are all equally important to the success of NSCC and our mission to build and improve the quality of life for our learners.”

One hundred and thirty-four organizations registered to participate in this year’s Hewitt ranking. The results of the study are based on survey responses from more than 108,000 Canadian employees with additional input from over 1,200 leaders and HR professionals.